Summer of Faith
by daphrose
Summary: Adam, Bree, and Chase are invited to a summer church camp by Bree's friend Lucy. At first they are reluctant to go, but they eventually give in. From the very first day it appears that this camp will be full of adventure, challenges, questions, and – most of all – faith. (There are OCs but no romance. Rated T for religion and some adult themes.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So I've been wanting to write a Christian fan-fic for a while, so here you are! Right off the bat I want to make sure you guys understand that I will use a lot of my personal beliefs in this story (based off what I believe about God and the Bible). If you disagree, I'm sorry. So let's all agree to disagree, okay? No one is making you read this story. Got it? Great!**

**I know I'm working on four stories at once now, but, seeing as how it's summer now (at least where I am), I really wanted to upload this. I'll be working on it throughout the summer.**

**Shout-out to ABCDavenport for inspiring me to **_**finally **_**work on a Christian Lab Rats story. Go check out their stories; they are fantastic! :D**

**This chapter is a bit slow, I know, but it's just the start. Hopefully you'll enjoy it though! I don't own Lab Rats.**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 1 * * ***

* * *

"Bree! Bree, Bree, Bree, Bree!"

Bree finally turned around after hearing her name called for the umpteenth time. The person shouting her name was barreling down the hallway, blonde hair flapping wildly. The girl skidded to a halt in front of Bree's locker and gave a big grin.

"Hi Lucy," Bree said. "You know everyone's looking at us now, right?"

"Oh, Bree," Lucy said, placing a gentle hand on Bree's shoulder. "You're friends with me. You'll get used to it."

Bree just chuckled and placed her books into her locker. "So, was there any reason for shouting my name for the entire school to hear?" she teased.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Lucy exclaimed. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose like she always did when she was about to give an 'important announcement.' "Okay, so you know that I'm a Christian, right?"

"Yeah," Bree said hesitantly. "You're not going to invite me to church, are you?"

"No!" Lucy said with a nervous laugh. "Well, not quite. Uh, I mean, you see . . . Ugh, I'm not that good at this. But my youth pastor told me to try, so I will. So, here's the deal: my church sends us to summer camp every year and I was wondering, well, if you would want to go with me. Maybe?"

"Um . . ." Bree started to say, but Lucy cut her off.

"It's a _ton _of fun! There's zip lining and swimming and kayaking and a basketball court and a cute little gift shop and their cafeteria has the _best _chicken you will _ever _eat!"

"But it's a church camp?" Bree clarified.

"Well, yes," Lucy said slowly, tucking a strand of her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ear. "I mean, yeah, there's chapel in the mornings and evenings. But it's not that bad! My youth pastor said it's great to invite people who don't go to church to come to camp 'cause it's a super-fun environment and not all that 'churchy,' if you know what I mean."

"I'm not so sure, Lucy," Bree said. "I mean, I don't know what my dad would say. And I've never really gone to camp before . . ."

"Then this will be _perfect!" _Lucy interrupted. "There's a ton of fun things to do. There's a playground that's fun to climb on and these great swings and a creek that we can go exploring in! And ropes courses and we get to roast s'mores and on the last day of camp there's a huge dance party!"

"That all sounds really fun and all, but I just don't know," Bree said.

"Look, just promise me you'll look into it, 'kay?" Lucy said stubbornly.

"But . . ."

"'Kay?"

"Alright, alright, okay," Bree surrendered.

"Great!" Lucy said, a grin spreading across her face. "Here, if you want more info I have a . . . oh, where'd it go?"

Bree watched in amusement as Lucy dug through her backpack. She threw out all her books and papers and frantically tore into every corner. Then suddenly she grinned and held up a small note-card-sized piece of paper triumphantly. "Aha!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Surprised you actually found it," Bree chuckled, knowing how scatterbrained her friend could be.

"I know, right?" Lucy agreed with a grin. "Anyway, here's a little postcard with the date and stuff. Plus it's got our church's website, where you can get more info and watch a video. Promise me you'll check it out."

"Alright, I'll check it out."

"Awesome. Oh, and your brothers can come too, if they want."

"Oh, yeah, that's _just _what I need," Bree said sarcastically. "Another activity to do with my stupid brothers."

"Since they're boys they'd be in different groups," Lucy explained with a shrug. "And since they're in different grades, they probably wouldn't even be with _each other._ Unless you make an effort to meet up with them, the only time you'd see them is if you happened to pass them in the cafeteria or something."

"Well, I'll look into it and ask them," Bree said.

"Good. Now, there are only so many spots, so if you would like to go, then sign up soon. I'd love it if you could come. I could introduce you to all my church friends! You'd really like Kate." Just then the bell began to ring. Lucy bit her lip and said, "I can't be late again or I'll get in trouble. See you later, Bree!"

"Bye!" Bree called as her friend charged down the hall. Bree then looked down at the postcard in her hands, contemplating what Lucy had told her.

* * *

Dramatic music played in the background of the video. Images of people playing games and doing all sorts of activities flashed across the screen of Bree's laptop. She was perched comfortably on the couch in the living room. The boys were in the lab and Tasha was shopping, so Bree had a quiet environment to watch the video in. She watched with curiosity as the video announced the band and speakers. At the end of the video the dates came up and the music faded. Bree picked up her phone and began to text Lucy.

_Hi so I watched the vid – Bree_

After a few minutes Bree got a response.

_The camp vid? – Lucy_

_ Yah – Bree_

_ Did u like it? – Lucy_

_ I dunno. The activities look kinda interesting – Bree_

_ Yah they totally r. And this is coming from some1 who hates sports w/ a passion. :P – Lucy_

_ It's a lot of $ - Bree_

_ Says the gal w/ the billionaire father. Have u asked him about it? – Lucy_

_ No. And I'm not sure I want 2 – Bree_

_ Aw, come on! It'll be fun, I promise! There's so much 2 do. Didn't u see all the activities in the vid? – Lucy_

_ Yah, but I'm not sure – Bree_

_ Alright, well, I won't push u into something u don't want 2 do. But it would still be gr8 if u could talk to ur dad about it. least – Lucy_

_ Ok, I guess I could give it a try – Bree_

_ Gr8. Let me know what he says. G2G my mom's calling me. TTYL! – Lucy_

_ Yah, TTYL – Bree_

The female bionic placed her phone down and sighed. Some part of her was very intrigued about this whole "church camp" thing. And yet some part of her really didn't want to go. She couldn't explain why.

Bree didn't have much experience with church or religion growing up. But ever since she had met Lucy a few months ago her interest had been growing. Bree couldn't deny that there was something different about her friend. Lucy was always so nice and treated everyone with love and respect. She didn't judge people or tear them down. It was strange behavior for a high-schooler. Bree had been interested since the day she met Lucy to find out why she acted that way.

This church camp seemed interesting. Those kids in the video seemed like they were having a lot of fun. Admittedly Bree was very intrigued by it. She really did want to go. But would her family approve? Bree decided she would ask them at dinner that night. It was gamble, but Bree was willing to take the risk. She wanted to know what this "Christianity" was really all about.

* * *

**So did you like it? Like I said, it's just a bit of an intro thing. There will be more as it goes on. Oh, and the first few chapters will focus on Bree, but eventually Adam and Chase will be involved as well.**

**Audience participation time! What would you guys like to happen at church camp? Any activities you'd like to see the Lab Rats do? I'm basing some of this story off personal experiences, but if you want to see something be sure to tell me about via PM or review! I'd love to hear your ideas and I'll credit you if I use yours.**

**What did you think of Lucy? How do you think Bree's family will react? Please don't forget to review and tell me! I'll **_**try **_**to update next week. I'm actually going to **_**my **_**church camp this week, so hopefully I'll get really inspired and come up with new ideas for this story. So anyway, review/follow/favorite if you liked it, and I'll see you guys in a bit!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi y'all! I'm back from **_**my**_** camp and I got a ton of inspiration for this story. Thanks for the support on this story and I hope it will continue to be good!**

**Someone asked me what denomination I am, and I probably need to establish that, don't I? I grew up in and still go to a non-denominational church. So frankly . . . I don't know. My basic beliefs are at the bottom of my profile if you want to know more about what I personally believe in.**

**Real quick I want to say that every church camp I have been to is less than a week long, but if I did that in the story I might not have enough time to do everything I want to do. So it'll be ten days. Hopefully that's reasonable.**

**I'm sorry if this chapter moves a little slow. I wanted to establish what Bree's family thinks of this. Stick around after the chapter; I have a few important announcements in the author's notes. Enjoy everyone, and I don't own Lab Rats.**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 2 * * ***

* * *

Dinner that evening was the same as always. Chase, Adam, and Leo were discussing some new video game that was about to come out. Mr. Davenport was bragging about one of his new inventions to Tasha. The only thing different was that Bree remained unusually quiet.

"Bree, honey, are you okay?" Tasha finally asked as she noticed her step-daughter's silence.

"Hmm?" Bree asked, looking up from her salad.

"Yeah, you've been awfully quiet tonight, Bree," Leo pointed out. Adam and Chase nodded in agreement.

"Is something on your mind?" Tasha asked.

Bree felt apprehension gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure why, but she was really nervous to ask her family about church camp. "Um," she said slowly, pushing her fork around her plate absentmindedly. "It's just that my friend Lucy invited me to a camp."

"What kind of camp?" Mr. Davenport asked. Everyone else at the table had become quiet; Bree was the center of attention.

The female bionic swallowed the lump in her throat and muttered, "A church camp."

"Really?" Chase scoffed. "You're actually _interested _in that stuff?"

"I dunno," Bree mumbled. She stared into her water glass and avoided the gazes of her family members.

"So do you _want _to go?" Tasha prodded.

"Yeah, I guess," Bree said with a shrug. "Lucy said it would be fun and I think it might be. She said the boys could come too."

"No way!" Chase exclaimed. "Besides, it would be a bad idea for us to go to camp. Wouldn't it, Mr. Davenport?"

"I can think of quite a few complications," the tech mogul mused.

"I've thought it all through," Bree said quickly. "If I – or we – don't use our bionics _at all, _then we won't be gone long enough to need our capsules. And if an emergency happens, then I can just super-speed back home. Plus we don't usually have many missions in the summer time."

"Wow, you really want this, don't you?" Tasha asked gently.

Bree just shrugged again. "Lucy's told me about it," she mumbled. "And I watched a video online. It seems fun. They have activities and games and sports and –"

"Church stuff," Chase pointed out.

"Well, yeah," Bree admitted sheepishly. "But Lucy said it's not 'super-churchy.' From what I understand, there will be a lot of people who don't go to church there."

"It sounds kinda fun," Adam commented.

"When is it?" Tasha asked.

"June sixteenth to the twenty-sixth," Bree informed her family. "Ten whole days."

"Oh, Leo and I were going to go to Grandma Rose's house from the fifteenth to the twentieth," Tasha informed them.

"But maybe me and Adam and Chase could still go?" Bree asked hopefully. She turned towards her father and pulled her best puppy-dog face.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "I'm still worried about this . . ." he tried to say.

"If you have any questions, I can ask Lucy for you," Bree said quickly. "I'll show you all the stuff online and you can make a decision. But would you at least look into it?"

"I suppose so," Mr. Davenport replied slowly. "I have a lot of work to do that week since I have a conference on the twenty-third, so it would be nice to have you kids out of the house."

"What? You're seriously going to make _us _go too?" Chase asked in shock.

"I _want _to go!" Adam insisted. "It sounds fun and I know Lucy; she's really nice. If everyone there is like her, I think I'll enjoy this!"

"It would make me feel better if both you boys went too," Mr. Davenport said. "That way you could all look out for each other and if anything happens the other two will be there to help."

"But you'll let us go?" Bree asked.

"I guess so."

"Yes!" Bree squealed excitedly. "I can show you all the info online and text Lucy and tell her that –"

"Bree, slow down!" Mr. Davenport insisted. "Let us at least finish eating first."

"Oh, right," Bree said. But she couldn't stop smiling as she wolfed down the rest of her salad.

* * *

Bree stood back as her father and two of her brothers watched the video on the screen. Mr. Davenport had read every single line of fine print about the camp, and Bree could tell that he wasn't finding anything wrong with it. Though Chase was protesting, their father finally decided that camp just might be alright.

"And you're not upset that it's a church camp?" Bree asked.

Mr. Davenport shrugged. "I don't see anything inherently wrong with it, no," the tech mogul said. "I happen to know that church people can be a little more . . . er, responsible. So I'd trust the adults there. Besides, you know this girl, right?"

"Lucy Anders?" Bree said. "Yeah, we've been friends for a few months now. She's really sweet."

"Last month she gave me half of her chocolate chip cookie," Adam said with a grin. "She's awesome."

"Alright then," Mr. Davenport said. "Let's sign you up."

The page opened in the browser with the list of information the system required. Mr. Davenport did Bree first, filling out the virtual forms. He started grumbling to himself about "how long these forms are" and how he should really "invent something to fill them out for you."

As her father did that, Bree whipped out her phone and texted her friend.

_He's doing it! I asked and he said yes! I'll b going 2 camp! – Bree_

Within a few seconds Bree's phone beeped and the response showed up on her screen.

_Yes! I knew he would. If u have any questions feel free 2 ask me – Lucy_

_ Sure! I'll c u at school tomorrow – Bree_

_ SYL! – Lucy_

Bree looked up from her phone to see her father begin to fill out information for Chase. The youngest bionic was scowling as he observed the process.

"Why don't you want to go?" Bree asked pointedly.

"It just doesn't really sound interesting," Chase said. "Besides the fact that it's a _church _camp – which I really have no interest in – camp isn't really my thing."

"How do you know?" Bree asked. "You've never even gone to one."

"And I don't want to," Chase said. "I'd rather just stay in the library all summer."

"Well, we're going to take you out and socialize you, little bro!" Adam said as he placed a hand on Chase's shoulder.

"Yeah, this will be a great opportunity to make new friends!" Bree pointed out. "And besides, I'm sure you can find stuff to do. Lucy said there's a creek; maybe you could catalogue plants or something."

Chase's face lifted a bit. "That does sound kinda interesting," he said slowly.

"Well you're all signed up now," Mr. Davenport said as he began another form for Adam. "Seriously, I really have to do this _three whole times?" _The man sighed and finally resigned himself to typing in all the private information.

Bree smiled and excitement began to bubble within her. Despite her apprehension about it being a church camp, Bree was actually really looking forward to this. It would be a great chance to make some new friends and hang out with people. Bree grinned wider and opened up the calendar on her phone to mark the date.

* * *

**Sorry if it's too short. The chapters will get longer. But there you go! Adam wants to have fun, Bree is curious, and Chase is the skeptic. You can be sure this will be an interesting ten days.**

**It's that time again! Audience participation time! I decided that I'd like some help coming up with characters for the story. So if you'd like to create an OC for my story, fill out the form below and post it in a review.**

**Name **_(First and last required; middle optional. I need any nicknames as well.)_

**Age/grade **_(I need both. Unless they are a counselor; then you don't need to put a grade.)_

**Gender **_(I need boys more than I need girls, but they can be whatever you want.)_

**Physical appearance **_(Hair color, eye color, identifying marks [scars, birthmarks, etc.], height, clothing style, etc.)_

**Personality **_(Are they excitable, serious, humorous, etc.?)_

**Short bio **_(Nothing too in-depth; just basic stuff like how many siblings they have, how they came to know Christ [if they're a believer], and anything else about their life I should know for the story.)_

**Believer or non-believer? **_(I prefer believer, but again, whatever you'd like. **Also: **If they are a non-believer, do they become a believer while at camp?)_

**Any other notes **_(Do they have food and/or seasonal allergies? Are they the best at archery? Do they always wear the same sweatshirt? Any random facts you think I should know.)_

**I need twelfth and tenth grade boys really bad, but I'll use whatever you give me. I need others too. You can also make the OC a counselor if you want, but I don't have a strong need for counselors. If you don't know any information (e.g., how they came to know Christ), I'll make it up for you. You can give me one OC, ten OCs, or none at all; whatever you want to do (although if you could make one, I would be extremely grateful). I'll always credit you.**

**So there you go guys! It would really help me out if you did that. But that's how you can get involved! Don't forget to review and I'll see you again soon for the next chapter in Summer of Faith. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everybody! First off, I just want to say: thank you to everyone who submitted an OC! Second, the OC sign-ups for Adam's cabin (12****th**** grade boys), Bree's cabin (11****th**** grade girls), and Chase's cabin (10****th**** grade boys) are CLOSED. You CAN still submit an OC who is not in those cabins, but they won't show up quite as often in the story. Third, due to reasons beyond my control, some of the OCs you guys submitted will show up less often than others. I'm sorry if this happens to your character, but it's just the way it worked out. However, I can promise that each OC will show up more than once within the story.**

**Here are a few reviews that I wanted to reply to real quick:**

**Anonymous1201 (guest) – Unfortunately it's a high school camp, so your characters cannot be in seventh grade. But I bumped them up to tenth instead (I needed another boy for Chase's cabin). I hope you don't mind.**

**Kate (guest) – I just wanted to say a real quick, sincere: THANK YOU! I appreciate how you took the time to explain Addison's allergy to me. Both my brothers have life-threatening allergies (one to nuts), so I am grateful that you wanted to make sure I understood. I have a feeling I know how to write this. ;) But again, thank you for being thorough. I do appreciate it. :)**

**(By the way, this story takes place after Mission: Mission Creek High [so new lab], but Bree still has her bionics in this story, so it's before Three Minus Bree.)**

**So anyway, this chapter is a bit of a filler, I suppose. Sorry about that. Hopefully it's still interesting to you. Enjoy! I don't own Lab Rats, just Lucy.**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 3 * * ***

* * *

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy squealed as she ran up to Bree. The high-pitched sound caused the bionic female to wince.

"Hi Lucy," Bree said, rubbing her ear mechanically.

"Oh, sorry!" Lucy apologized in a quieter voice with a sheepish grin. "I'm just _so _excited! Only three more days of school _and _the list was sent today. Yay!"

"What list?" Bree asked as she pulled a few of her books out of her locker.

"You didn't get it yet?" Lucy asked, cocking her head a bit. "The packing list for camp. They emailed it out this morning. It's got all the info you'll need."

"Oh, I haven't checked my email today," Bree informed her friend. The bionic pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and quickly opened up her email. "Is this it?"

"Yup," Lucy said proudly. "Just click that link and it'll pull up a list of everything you'll need for camp. Our theme this year is 'Transformed.' And our verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17: 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!'"

"Okay," Bree muttered absentmindedly. "Wait, what's this about a one-piece swim suit?"

"Just for modesty," Lucy said with a shrug. "Wear a one-piece or wear a non-white shirt over it. They have a lot of rules. I know it might seem a little strict, but trust me, it's not really that bad. They're just trying to keep everyone safe."

"No phones?" Bree screeched when she saw another line of text.

"Nope. Only in our cabins. But there's no reception out there anyway."

"Lucy, how am I supposed to survive a whole ten days without my phone?"

"Don't worry, there are plenty of other things to do! You won't be bored at all. And if you need to call anybody, there are payphones over by the cafeteria."

"B-but no texting?"

Lucy shook her head. "It's not as bad as it sounds!" the blonde persisted. "I promise."

Bree gave a shaky sigh and lowered her head. "Okay, I'm trusting you," she said slowly.

"You'll have a great time," Lucy told her. "And don't forget to start packing once you get home. Camp in is one week. Yay!"

* * *

Bree's eyes flicked back to the laptop as she sat hunched over her suitcase. She was in the spare bedroom Mr. Davenport let her use as her own on occasion. Of course she still had to sleep in the lab, but Bree liked having a place to escape to. At the moment Bree had Katy Perry blasting through her phone and the packing list for camp pulled up on the computer.

**Things you **_**need **_**to bring:**

_ -_ _MODEST clothing! Girls: No short shorts, no stomach skin visible, and please bring a ONE PIECE bathing suit. Be prepared for messy games, cold weather (during the evening), warm weather, and swimming._

_ - Money for snacks, souvenirs, and other activities. The amount depends on you. For the optional activities, remember: Kayaking or canoeing - $10. Paintball - $15._

_ - A BIBLE! If you don't have one let us know, we'll happy to help you with that._

_ - A sleeping bag, a pillow, and a towel. These can be placed in a plastic trash bag that will go under the bus._

_ - One suitcase (ONLY ONE!) and a small backpack to take on the bus. We only have so much space._

_ - Cleaning items such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, and toothbrush/toothpaste. Boys, you WILL need to shower AT LEAST ONCE during the camp, probably more._

Bree laughed out loud at the last part. At least they were making that clear!

The teenage girl suddenly noticed that there was a list of things _not _to bring. Her eyes scanned that.

**Things you **_**cannot **_**bring:**

_- Electronics. You can bring your phone, but it will be confiscated if we see it outside of your cabin._

_ - Anything illegal. Weapons, substances . . . need we say more?_

_ - Valuables and nice clothing. Trust us, you won't need them._

_ - Bad attitudes. We're going for ten days of fun. Don't ruin the mood._

Bree didn't think she would be bothered by any of that – except for the fact that she couldn't use her phone. That would take some adjusting. She sighed and continued to pack up her bag.

A few jeans, a couple of shorts, some t-shirts and tank tops, a swimsuit, and a pair of flip-flops. The forecast called for warm weather – mid eighties – where the campers were headed. So Bree made sure to pack appropriately.

Once Bree had packed up a few other items see might need – such as a flashlight, an envelope so she could send mail from camp, and a pair of goggles – Bree texted Lucy to ask about the one item she didn't have.

_Hey Lucy, where do I get a Bible? – Bree_

_ OMG! U don't have 1, do u? – Lucy_

_ Nope – Bree_

_ Wow I totally forgot. Don't worry, I can get u 1 – Lucy_

_ I can just get 1 if u need me 2 – Bree_

_ No, no, I'll get u 1. Consider it a gift 2 say, "Thx for coming 2 camp" – Lucy_

_ Well, ok – Bree_

_ Do u have preference about the version? – Lucy_

_ I don't even know what that means – Bree_

_ Oh, that just means the way it's worded. There's KJV (2 old 4 me; all the "thee's" and "thou's" and "art's"), ESB, NASB . . . my fav is the NIV – Lucy_

_ Um, ok? – Bree_

_ I'll just get u an NIV. I can't wait 2 pick 1 out 4 u! – Lucy_

_ What about my brothers? – Bree_

_ I can get them each 1 2 - Lucy_

_ Ok then. Hey I was wondering: where r we going 2 stay? Like in tents or something? – Bree_

_ Oh, no, we're in cabins! They're really nice 2. It's great. If we r in Blackberry they have bathrooms IN THE ROOM! – Lucy_

_ Ooh, sounds nice! – Bree_

_ If we r in Pinecone (I was in there last year) u have 2 walk outside 2 get 2 the bathrooms, but it's not that bad. – Lucy_

_ Well, sounds great – Bree_

_ Oh, it is. I promise. Oh, G2G help my mom out w/ something. SYL! – Lucy_

_ TTYL – Bree_

Bree put down her phone and sighed. At least the whole Bible thing was covered. Bree wondered what that book was about. Lucy had told her a little, but Bree had never actually read a Bible. It sounded interesting, though.

The female bionic decided to head down to the lab and remind her brothers to pack. She found Chase and Mr. Davenport working at something on the supercomputer and Adam tossing toothpicks into a plastic cup.

"Did you guys get the email about camp?" Bree announced to the males in the lab.

"What email?" Adam asked.

"It's got the packing list in it," Bree told them. "I've been packing since I got home."

"But camp isn't for a whole week," Chase reminded his sister as he turned away from the computer and looked up at her.

"I know," Bree said. "But I'm just so excited! We're supposed to bring Bibles, but Lucy said she would get some for us."

"You sure she won't forget?" Adam asked.

"Eh, we'll see," Bree said with a shrug. Lucy tended not to forget things that were as important as this.

"Speaking of camp," Mr. Davenport said, standing up like he was going to make an important announcement, "I need to go over some ground rules with you guys."

The three bionics groaned.

"I'm serious!" Mr. Davenport told them. The siblings looked at each other and then back at their father. They could tell that he truly _was _serious about this. "I need to make sure all of you understand. Adam?"

"Huh?" the eldest asked.

"Pay attention," Mr. Davenport instructed. "You guys can use _no _bionics, _whatsoever. _Not for _anything _at all. I need you to restrain yourselves even more than usual. Since I won't be around, I'm trusting you guys to be extra-responsible. Got it? No bionics, unless it is a _serious _life-and-death situation. Keep out of trouble! I mean it, you guys!"

"Got it!" Adam, Bree, and Chase said simultaneously. Bree had never seen her father so stern. She knew that this was definitely important.

"Good," Mr. Davenport sighed. "Then . . . you guys have fun. And don't forget to write me at least one letter!"

"Sure thing!" Adam said happily.

"I think I'll go pack now," Chase said, edging his way out of the lab.

"You were just teasing _me_ for packing because we still have a week left," Bree reminded him. She put her hands on her hips and glared at her younger brother.

"Yes, but I like to be prepared," Chase said. "We all got that email, right?"

"Yeah," Bree sighed. "And just skip over the Bible part. Lucy'll be brining one for each of us."

"Alright," Chase said, his expression sour like he had just smelled some of Adam's "morning breath."

"Why do you look so bummed about it?" Adam asked.

"I just don't think I really need one of those old books," Chase replied. "I mean, I'm sure it would make for a fascinating study on ancient literature, but I know that all these Christians will be trying to pass it off as the 'Word of God' or whatever."

"It's on our packing list," Bree reminded him. "We've got to take it regardless."

Chase just shrugged and went into the elevator. Bree sighed again and turned back to Adam. Mr. Davenport was once again deeply engrossed in whatever he was doing on his supercomputer.

"Why's Chase so uptight about this?" Adam asked.

"He's just a skeptic," Bree said.

"Are you a skeptic?"

"I really don't know," Bree replied slowly. "I'm just . . . curious."

"I'm going 'cause it sounds fun," Adam said as he examined one of his toothpicks.

"Yeah, regardless of Chase being a wet blanket or anything else, we're going to have fun," Bree said confidently. "Only one more week. I can't wait!"

* * *

**Next chapter: the Lab Rats are dropped off at the church and they load up on the buses! Woo! Camp time, finally! But what did you think of this chapter? Like I said, it is a filler. But I needed to write that out before I move on. Camp officially starts in chapter 4! YAY!**

**I want to apologize for Leo not going to camp. Sorry about that, guys. I'm already really overwhelmed just having to do Adam, Bree, and Chase. I don't think I handle another character right now. So again, I'm sorry.**

**Now, I'm pretty much done with OCs (you can still submit them, they'll just be really minor characters), but I still would like any help you guys can give me. Here's what I'm asking: do you guys have any funny camp experiences? Maybe a story from **_**your **_**church camp? I'd love to hear them. If I like it enough, I might just make something similar happen in the story. Also, if you guys have any ideas for worship songs, camp activities, food for the meals, sermon topics, or anything else, PLEASE tell me. I'd really love to hear your ideas. Anything, anything at all! Thanks you guys!**

**I'll try to upload another chapter of this story sometime this week. I'm working at my church's VBS in the mornings all week, so we'll see if I can get another chapter done. I'm sure it won't be too hard. :) See you all soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! Welcome to the fourth chapter of Summer of Faith! First off, thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them. All your ideas are being considered, so thank you for that! Now, I have a very important announcement.**

**OC sign-ups are CLOSED! That's it, people! Camp is officially full. Any OCs I get from here on out will NOT be accepted. I'm sorry. I can hardly handle the ones I got, so I really can't take any more. Thanks to those of you who submitted an OC. A few of you might recognize some names in this chapter. ;)**

**Now for a huge disclaimer: Lab Rats is owned by Disney. The OCs were created by the following people:**

**Maya Hudson – Unknownfangirl10**

**Addison Fischer – Kate**

**Oliver McCoy – JesusFreak77**

**Austin Williams – daphrose fan**

**Jason Reynolds – Kate**

**Jonathan "Jon" Brian Elsburg – Snooptastic**

**Anyone else you don't recognize and who isn't listed above – namely Lucy, Kate, Matt, Eric, and Pastor Kyle – is mine. Enjoy the story, everybody!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 4 * * ***

* * *

Bree pressed her face to the window as the church approached on their right. It was pretty average looking; a cross stood on the top of the roof and there was a bell tower out front. It wasn't massive and looked rather quaint. There was a large front lawn _full _of kids. Bree and her brothers inhaled sharply as they looked at the sea of human that was flooding the grassy area.

There was one large building and another building beside it. The smaller building had the lawn and all the people in front of it. If Bree had to guess, the small building was probably where the high-schoolers met.

It took Mr. Davenport a few minutes to find a parking space down the side of the church. Once he had, all three kids hopped out and began to pull their suitcases out of the back. Each teen had one suitcase, one backpack or small bag for the bus, and a plastic trash bag that contained a sleeping bag, towel, and pillow.

The four Davenports walked slowly in the direction of the lawn, wading through piles of suitcases and bags in front of the church. "Do we just drop our stuff here?" Bree asked when she noticed what the other kids were doing with their bags.

"Let's just keep if for right now," Mr. Davenport suggested. "If anyone tells you otherwise, then feel free."

All of a sudden Bree heard her name being called. She turned to see Lucy running towards them, a huge grin on her face. A few yards back was another girl with short dark-brown hair charging after Lucy.

"Bree!" Lucy called as she caught up to her friend.

"Lucy!" the brown haired girl called angrily as she ran up besides the blonde. "What are you doing?"

"Must you be so rude?" Lucy asked, shaking a finger at the girl. "Kate, this is Bree, the girl I told you about. Bree, this is my friend, Kate."

"Hi," Kate said, plastering a smile on her face. "Nice to meet you."

Bree and Kate shook hands. "Lucy, this is my dad, Mr. Davenport," Bree introduced her father. "And Kate, these are my brothers, Chase and Adam."

There were more greetings and hand-shaking.

"Here, I got the Bibles for you guys," Lucy said, pulling out three leather-bound books. "I got your names engraved on them too."

"Cool!" Adam shouted as he fingered the silver lettering on the corner.

"Thank you," Bree said as she took the Bible. She observed the words "Bree Davenport" written on it and couldn't help but smile.

"What version is this?" Chase asked as he accepted his.

"NIV," Lucy informed him. "New International Version. It's my favorite; it seems the easiest to understand. If you want another version you can get one later. Wait, you know about versions?"

"In the purely skeptical way, yes," Chase said coolly.

"Oh," Lucy replied, her tone slightly disappointed.

The three bionics slipped the Bibles into the outside pockets of their suitcases. Bree did a double check while she had to pouch open to make sure her items were still in there. They were.

"Well, I really have to go," Mr. Davenport said suddenly. "Got a big conference call later this morning. Can I trust you girls to help my kids out?"

"Of course," Kate said pleasantly.

"Sure thing!" Lucy assured him.

"Great," Mr. Davenport sighed. "Bye guys. See you in ten days."

The tech mogul said farewell to his daughter with a hug. Knowing his sons wouldn't appreciate the show of affection, Mr. Davenport opted to simply wave goodbye to Adam and Chase. He walked away from the church and his kids watched as he hopped in the car and drove off.

"So what about Leo?" Lucy asked without preamble. "You never told me why he's not going."

"He and Tasha are at his grandmother's," Adam explained.

"We said goodbye to them yesterday," Chase told her.

"Oh, okay. Come on, let's go get you guys signed in!" Lucy exclaimed. "Just leave your stuff here. We can come get it once you've figure out your cabin and stuff. Come on, come on!" Lucy charged off, jumping around and shouting excitedly.

"She's such a child sometimes," Kate said with a chuckle. "Surely you know; you go to school with."

"Yeah," Bree agreed. "But she is fun."

"True," Kate consented.

"So Kate," Chase asked, attempting to make conversation as they followed Lucy to the lawn. "I've never seen you around before. Where do you go to school?"

"Actually, I'm homeschooled," Kate informed him. "I have been my whole life."

"We were homeschooled for most of our lives, too," Adam said quickly.

"Cool!" Kate said with a grin. "I love it. Oh, hang on, it's time to penetrate the 'ocean of people.'"

Adam, Bree, Chase, Kate, and Lucy had now come to the edge of the mass of people. Lucy wiggled her way through, leading the way for her friends.

"I'm sure you saw this on the packing list," Lucy said as she guided Adam, Bree, Chase, and Kate over to the wall, "but the state of California requires lice check on everyone going to camp. Me and Kate already did it; the station's over there. Here, come on!"

Lucy took off, leaving the two boys and two girls to chase after her through the crowd. They reached two chairs – the lice check stations – under the eaves right outside the double doors leading into the youth building. There were two ladies standing nearby and chatting.

"Hi Mrs. Brown!" Lucy called cheerfully.

"Well hello, Lucy!" the woman dubbed "Mrs. Brown" replied, giving Lucy a quick side hug. "Are these the friends you invited from school?"

"Yup," Lucy replied proudly. "This is Adam, Bree, and Chase Davenport. And they still need to do the lice check."

"Alright, why don't you sit down, Bree?" Mrs. Brown said. "Adam, you can sit with Mrs. Brooks right there." She motioned to the other lady, who in turn motioned to the chair.

Adam and Bree complied. Bree felt the deft fingers of Mrs. Brown comb through her hair for a few seconds. "And done!" the lady said. "Hold out your hand." Bree obeyed and Mrs. Brown drew a green smiley face on it with a marker. "Now go see Sarah, right over there, and she'll write down that you passed."

Bree walked over to the brunette girl – probably in her early twenties – holding a clipboard. "Are you Sarah?" Bree asked a bit shyly.

"That's me," Sarah said proudly. "Did you get checked for lice?"

"Yes," Bree replied, holding out her hand.

"Excellent," Sarah said. "And your name?"

"Bree Davenport."

"Great. Great, great, great." Sarah wrote down a mark on the papers on her clipboard. "Okay, you're all set! Head over to those tables there to get your cabin assignments. Don't forget to drop off medicine if you have any."

"Thank you," Bree said. She decided to lean against a pole and wait for her brothers.

Once they had passed the lice check – Chase rubbing his scalp and muttering indignantly about someone touching his hair – all five of them walked over to the tables to sign in. Adam went to the twelfth grade table, Bree went to the eleventh grade table, and Chase went to the tenth grade table.

"What's your name?" the man at the table asked with a friendly smile.

"Bree Davenport," the girl reported.

The man scanned the sheet in front of him. His face lit up and he put a check next to Bree's name. "Thanks," he said. "The lists of cabins are on the back wall, right behind me. You're in Pinecone three."

"Thank you," Bree said. She, Kate, and Lucy all walked around the table.

"You're with us!" Lucy squealed.

"We already knew that," Kate pointed out.

Bree looked at the sheet of paper taped to the wall. It listed the cabins, the people in the cabin, and the counselor. "So this is ours?" Bree asked, tapping the line that said "Pinecone 3" in blocky letters.

"Sure thing," Lucy said. "Our counselor is Donna Mickelson. She's really great. The others girls in our cabin areMaya Hudson, Addison Fischer, Holly Kennedy, and Jessica McKay. They're all awesome. Hey, where _is _Holly? I haven't seen her all day."

"She was coming a few minutes late, remember?" Kate said. "She'll be here, don't worry."

"Hey guys," Bree called to Adam and Chase, who were scanning the list of cabins as well. "Who are you with?"

"Nobody we know," Adam sighed.

"We'll help you find friends," Lucy said cheerily. "Let's see . . . oh, hey, look! Chase is in the same cabin as Matt!"

"Really?" Kate asked. "Hang on. MATT, GET OVER HERE!"

Bree covered her ears mechanically as Kate screeched out the name. A boy Chase's age with dark brown hair came out of the crowd. He had a smile on as he said sarcastically, "What, _your highness?"_

Kate made a face before grabbing Chase's arm and pushing him towards the boy. "Chase, this is my brother Matt," Kate introduced them. "Matt, this is Chase. He's in your cabin. Make friends, or whatever."

Matt laughed and shook his head. He and Chase shook hands and Matt said, "Sorry about that. Sisters, am I right?"

"Tell me about it," Chase agreed.

"Hey!" Kate and Bree both shouted in protest.

"Well, Chase, is this your first time here?" Matt asked.

"Yeah," Chase replied. "Bree dragged me along when Lucy invited her."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have a blast."

"Wouldn't count on it."

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," Matt insisted. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to a few of my friends. Did you see that Oliver is in our cabin, Lucy?"

"Oh, no, I didn't!" Lucy said. "Well, that's great!"

"Okay, come on, Chase," Matt said, leading Chase away from the girls and Adam. "I'll show you the ropes."

"What about me?" Adam asked.

"Hmm, let me see," Kate said thoughtfully as she looked over the list. "Oh, hey, look, Lucy! Adam's with Eric!"

"Which Eric?" Lucy asked.

"Eric Sutton, the only Eric in twelfth grade," Kate said in a "duh" tone of voice.

"That's great!" Lucy exclaimed. "Adam, Eric is _wonderful. _He knows _everyone _and he's a super nice guy. You two will really get along."

"I see him over there," Kate called, pointing to a tall, lanky teen wearing a black beanie. "Hey, Eric!"

The boy waved to the people he was talking to and sprinted over to the four teens. "Hey Kate, Lucy," he greeted them. "Hey, Kate, how's your book coming along?"

"Eh, it's getting there," Kate said with a sigh. "I just reached twenty thousand words this week."

"Impressive!" Eric cheered. "Keep up the great work!"

"Thanks," Kate said. "But we're not here to talk about me. Eric, this is Adam. He's new here and he's in your cabin."

"Oh, awesome!" Eric said with a broad grin. "Hey Adam!"

"Nice to meet you," Adam said as the two twelfth graders shook hands.

"Can you help him get to know everyone?" Lucy asked.

"Sure," Eric agreed, his grin never fading. "I can introduce you to Jason and Jon and Caleb and the others in our cabin. Come on, Jason's right over there. So, have you ever been to a church camp before?"

The two boys walked away, talking cheerfully with each other. Bree, Kate, and Lucy watched them go. "Eric's a great guy," Lucy reassured Bree.

"Yeah, he knows _everyone _in the church," Kate agreed. "He cares, too. That's not always something you see in guys nowadays."

"Guess who?" an unknown voice suddenly called from behind the girls. They spun around to face a tall girl with a pixie haircut standing behind them.

"Holly!" Lucy and Kate exclaimed together. They both ran up to the girl and shared a hug, chatting excitedly with each other. Bree hung back a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, Holly!" Lucy said suddenly, remembering her friend. "This is Bree, the friend I told you I would invite."

"Hi!" Holly said cheerfully, extending a hand and shaking Bree's warmly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm so excited that we have another girl coming to camp. You'll have a blast, trust me. This is the best week of the entire year!"

"You all signed in?" Kate asked.

"Nope, not yet," Holly sighed. "I'll go do that now."

"I'll come with you," Kate suggested. The two brunettes walked off to go through the whole process.

"So, how do you like it so far?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, it's all really hectic," Bree said.

Lucy laughed. "It's always that way," she explained. "Things will smooth out in a bit. Once we get to camp and we're all spread out, it's pretty calm. I know there are a lot of kids, though. Our church practically runs the camp. We send the most every year. Oh hey, I think we're loading our stuff onto the buses. C'mon!"

"What about Kate and Holly?" Bree asked as the two girls followed the people who were walking over to all the luggage.

"They'll catch up," Lucy said as she grabbed the handle of her suitcase. "We're just putting suitcases under the bus right now. We still have to meet to go over the rules and pray."

"Pray?" Bree muttered to herself.

The two girls wheeled their suitcases to the spots were the buses were parked in the parking lot. "We're on bus two!" Lucy called to her friend. "I saw it on the paper! Put your stuff on the bottom of bus two!"

Bree obeyed, pushing her way through the mass of teenagers to get to the bus. The bottom compartments were open and people were sliding their bags in. Bree did it too, shoving her suitcase as far as it would go in the space. She stood up and elbowed her way back out of the crowd to where she saw Lucy standing.

"How'd you get though so fast?" Bree asked, rubbing her shoulder – which someone had hit with the wheel of a suitcase while she was putting her bag on the bus.

"I've done this for three years in a row!" Lucy laughed. "I'm an expert. Now come on, they'll be meeting over on the front lawn."

Lucy and Bree charged back over to the open space. A man in a striped shirt and baseball cap was standing with a microphone in his hand. His eyes were fixed on the teens as they all ran back to the lawn. Slowly they began to form a circle on the edge of the grass.

Holly and Kate ran up to Bree and Lucy, slightly out of breath yet smiling. Bree quickly picked out where each of her brothers were. Adam was chatting gaily with a couple of boys and Chase looked slightly uncomfortable as one boy – not Matt – tried to make conversation with him.

"Alright!" the man in the striped shirt said through the microphone. Most people quieted down, but a few remained talking. "I want everyone to be quiet right now! So if your neighbor is talking, please give them a quick elbow in the side."

Kate, Lucy, and Holly all gave each other teasing pokes with their elbows. Bree stood awkwardly between Lucy and Kate, staring intently at the man talking to them.

"In case you guys don't know me, I'm Pastor Kyle, the youth pastor here at Mission Creek Community Church," the man introduced himself. "And we are just about to head off for an awesome ten days at camp!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered in response. Once everyone was quiet again, Pastor Kyle said, "I want to make sure everyone stays safe. I'm better friends with the doctors down at the hospital by camp then your parents want to know."

"Not something you want to hear when you're headed to camp," Bree whispered to Lucy. The blonde chuckled under her breath.

"So, first and foremost I want to make sure you stay hydrated," the pastor continued. "Dehydration is not a fun experience. So make sure you drink plenty of water. Please be careful around camp and let a counselor know about anything out of the ordinary. We don't want people getting hurt or sick. Okay? It's not fun.

"Next, I want to make sure you all understand the 'no phones' rule. We are _very _strict about this. If we see your phone with you outside of your cabin, _we will take it away." _A few of the kids in the crowd groaned. The pastor continued, "The next time you see it will be when we're handing it back to your parents when we get back. No phones at all. The only exception is if it is a _real _emergency, like someone is literally dying. Other than that, no phones for anything. You want pictures? You should've brought a camera. You want the Bible app? Bring an actual Bible. Those work so much better. Besides, most of us don't get reception out there anyway."

"I can't believe this," Bree muttered under her breath.

"You'll survive," Holly assured her. "It's really not that bad."

"Okay," Pastor Kyle shouted through the microphone. "We have a few people who did not do the lice check. Hannah Barton, Clay Dixon, and Austin Williams, would you please go see Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Brooks, and Sarah right over there? Thank you."

The three teens charged out of the crowd and hurried over to the chairs.

"There are some people who haven't checked in yet," the youth pastor went on without hesitation. "Georgina Quincy, James Adams, Penny Ortega, Clay Dixon, and Maya Hudson, you guys forgot to check in."

A few more teens charged out and ran over to the tables.

"Also, if you have any medication," Pastor Kyle announced, "we _need _that _now. _Go put it in the medication box on the table right behind me."

Once again some people came out with plastic bags. They stuck them in the box before running back their spots.

"Before we pray I want to say one more thing," the pastor said. "If _you _did not put your stuff on the bus, _your stuff is not on the bus. _I don't care if you asked your friend to do it; if you yourself did not physically place your bag on the bus, trust me, it's not on there. We had someone last year who no clothes when they got to camp. It wasn't fun. So _please _make sure _you _put your stuff on the bus. Thank you."

At this point everyone had returned from the stations they had been directed to. Bree could feel the hot summer sun beating down on her head and hoped this ended soon.

"Alright, everyone close your eyes and let's pray," Pastor Kyle said.

"I've never really prayed before," Bree muttered to Lucy.

"Grab my hand and Kate's," Lucy instructed. Bree obeyed, holding hands with each girl. She saw that everyone around the circle was doing it too. "Now bow your head and close your eyes. Kyle will pray for us." Bree did as she was told, wondering why they would have to do something like that.

"Dear God," Pastor Kyle began, praying through the microphone, "we lift up all these kids to you, Lord. We know that no one is here by accident. You have something you want to show all of us this week. Bless our camp experience and help the trip up there to go smoothly. Keep us all safe as we learn about you over the next week and a half. In Jesus's name, amen."

The kids around the lawn echoed the word "amen."

"Alright," Pastor Kyle shouted in an excited voice, "let's load up the buses. Off we go!"

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed with an ear-splitting screech. "We're finally going to camp! Yay!"

* * *

**And they're off! The next chapter will be about their experience on the buses. So, what did you guys think? I had fun with this chapter. I know it's a little rushed, but that always seems to be the way it is on the first day at camp. :P Hopefully you still enjoyed it. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think! I always love hearing what you guys have to say.**

**I'm still accepting any suggestions you have (for rec activities, games, worship songs, sermon lessons, meals, funny stories, etc.). Let me know about anything you'd like to see and I might just include it in the story. Just remember that OC sign-ups are now closed.**

**Some of you know that I will be leaving for a week starting this Saturday. I'll actually be going on a missions trip, not vacation. I'm really excited because this is my first missions trip ever. Yay! I've wanted to do something like this for a while, so even though I'm scared I'm also very excited. I would appreciate any prayers for myself and my team as we try to reach kids with the word of God.**

**That being said, I won't be able to update for a while, sorry about that. However, maybe I'll get some inspiration! I may be able to get on and review/reply to PMs, but I doubt it. I'll probably be too busy or too tired. I may not have wi-fi either (I really have no clue). We'll see what happens! Anyway, I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks, regardless. Bye, y'all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, hi guys. I am so, SO sorry for not updating sooner. I kinda lost inspiration for this story and I had a lot of other stuff going on, but I'm back now! I don't think updates for this story will be often, since I've got so many other things I'm trying to do as well. Don't expect updates every week or anything. I'm sorry about that. I will do it when I can.**

**Time for a very long disclaimer! I do not own: Lays potato chips, iPods, any of the Katy Perry songs,**_** The LEGO Movie, **_**or **_**Frozen**_**. As for the characters:**

**Adam, Bree, and Chase – Disney**

**Matt, Lucy, Eric, Sarah, Humphrey, Kate, Holly, Frankie, Jake, and Blake – me (daphrose)**

**Oliver – JesusFreak77**

**Austin – daphrose fan (guest)**

**Ricky – Czechm8**

**Colby and Sara – anonymous1201 (guest)**

**Jon – Snooptastic**

**Jason – Kate (guest)**

**I think I got everyone. Oh boy! Hopefully you guys can enjoy this long overdue chapter. Have at it!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 5 * * ***

* * *

"Right there!" Lucy said, pointing to two empty seats in the center of the bus. She and Bree quickly sat down. Bree took the window seat. Kate and Holly sat in the seats right behind them.

Each row in the bus was comprised of two seats on either side of the aisle. Several teens, both boys and girls, piled into the unfilled rows. Bree had talked to her brothers beforehand and they were all on different buses. At least Bree could enjoy this part of her camp experience without them.

"So what happens now?" Bree asked as she slid her small backpack under the seat in front of her.

"Now we do roll call," Kate explained from the seat behind them. "They're just waiting for everyone to get on and explain the rules. Oh, it looks like they're about to start!"

The twenty-something brunette girl from earlier – Sarah, Bree remembered – stood up in the front of the bus and cleared her throat. The teens quieted down and looked up at her expectantly.

"Before we do anything, we need to go over the rules for the bus," Sarah said in a loud voice. "This is Humphrey, our driver."

"Hi Humphrey!" everyone chorused as the elderly bus driver waved from his seat.

"He'll be explaining some of the rules to us," Sarah said. She moved aside and Humphrey stood up.

"Okay, kids!" the driver said in a loud voice that surprised Bree. "We want to make sure everyone stays safe on the trip up there. That means following a few rules. First of all, no standing and walking up and down the aisles while the bus is moving. That's very dangerous. And second, if something happens to the bus and you need to get out quick, each window has a small red lever on the side of it. Pull down on the lever, push up on the window, and hop out. Let's have a safe trip, okay? We don't need something going wrong before camp even starts. Just stay seated and enjoy the ride!"

"Thank you, Humphrey," Sarah said as the driver sat down. "Next up is roll call. Just raise your hand and shout, 'here' when I call your name. Lucy Anders?"

"Here!" Lucy called, raising her hand. Then she leaned over to Bree and whispered, "I'm always first."

Sarah continued to shout out names. A few of the boys found it funny to say different things when their names were called. Someone named "Jake Carter" found it very funny to cry, "I am present, commander!" when his name was called. Sarah shot him a dirty look while most of the bus laughed.

"Bree Davenport?" Sarah called.

"Here," Bree said, raising her hand dutifully.

Several more names were listed. A few times the leaders up in the front of the bus had to double check the lists because someone didn't answer. Usually a friend on the bus would inform them that so-and-so had unexpectedly been unable to come to camp.

Once the list was done, Sarah announced, "Alright everyone, that's it! This bus is ready to roll! It's camp time!"

All the kids on the bus cheered. The engine started up and Bree felt the bus shake like a giant waking up from its nap. Teens began to wave to some of their parents who were still there and were standing on the lawn outside the church. Bree was on the opposite side of the bus and she had no one to wave to anyway, so she just sat back quietly in her seat.

Eventually the bus pulled away from the church. Everything became eerily quiet as they rolled through the neighborhood and headed for the highway. Teens pulled out their cell phones and slowly began to chat with the friends beside them.

"I'm so excited!" Lucy squealed. "I am _so _excited!"

"We get it," Holly muttered from the seat directly behind Bree.

"Hey, Holly, can I share some of my ideas with you?" Kate asked suddenly.

"Sure, shoot," Holly answered. The two girls began frantically chatting with each other and Bree heard the pages of a book as they rustled.

"They're authors," Lucy explained as Bree toned the other two girls out. "They talk about ideas a lot and 'inspiration' and stuff. Sometimes they try to explain it to me, but it's way over my head."

Bree just chuckled. "So what now?" she asked.

"Now we sit here for two and half hours," Lucy said, perhaps a bit too cheerily. "They'll probably start a movie soon. I brought a bag of chips. You want some?"

"No thanks, I'm good," Bree said with a wave of her hand.

Lucy shrugged. "Suit yourself." The blonde reached down and unzipped her backpack. She pulled out a bag of Lays potato chips and smiled before devouring them.

Bree decided to just listen to music. She pulled out her iPod and put in headphones. Bree selected her "Katy Perry" playlist and leaned back in the seat. Trees and scenery flew by as the bus exited the town of Mission Creek.

* * *

Chase stared at the road signs they passed, mouthing the words to himself. He was getting bored. All there was to look at was the road signs and endless miles of dry, yellow grass. Chase really wished he had brought more to do in his backpack.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Matt, who was sitting beside him, asked.

"Just about how corn is the staple food of Nicaragua," Chase muttered. Well? He really was! Somehow the grass reminded him of tall corn stalks and – Voilà! – Nicaragua.

"Just like most other Latin American countries," Matt added. "Although the national dish of Nicaragua – gallo pinto – surprisingly has no corn in it. Just beans and rice."

"Wow," Chase said, turning to the brown-haired boy beside him and smirking. "That was pretty smart."

Matt shrugged. "My mom made me do a research paper on Nicaragua last year," he said. "Well, she made me do it on a Spanish-speaking country, since I was taking Spanish. I picked Nicaragua."

"That's pretty cool," Chase said. He could appreciate someone like this. Maybe camp wouldn't be all bad.

"Finally found someone who could actually keep up with your mouth, Matt?" the dark-haired boy in front of Chase asked over the edge of the seat.

"Haha, Oliver," Matt said with a scowl. Then to Chase he said, "They're always teasing me because I like to explain things to them."

"No," the boy sitting to Oliver's right said, "you spout random facts that no one cares about!"

"That's not true and you know it, Austin!" Matt insisted.

Austin just shrugged and turned back to the video he had been watching on his phone. The two boys in the seats ahead of Chase and Matt shared and grin and Chase caught it. He chuckled. Matt leaned back in his seat and scowled.

"So anyway," Matt sighed, "what do you wanna do?"

"I don't know," Chase said with a shrug. "What do you normally do on the bus?"

"Waste away in boredom," Matt sighed. "But, uh, I could point out all our cabin mates."

"Sure, why not?" Chase agreed.

"Okay, so you already know Oliver, the sassy one."

"Excuse me, I am _not _sassy!" Oliver protested.

"Whatever," Matt said. "And Austin, the one with the glasses."

Austin waved over the top of the seat but did not look up from his phone.

"Let's see," Matt said, craning his neck and looking around the bus. "See the African-American boy over there? That's Frankie. He's the comedian."

Chase looked towards the back of the bus and saw the boy Matt was talking about.

"The red-haired boy sitting beside him is Ricky. Well, technically his name is Erik, but we call him Ricky. The other one with glasses! He is . . . interesting. He doesn't like to be around people. We might not see him a lot."

Frankie was laughing at something on his phone. Ricky was slouching in his seat, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"And the other one is Colby Jones. I don't know him very well. His cousin Sara comes to church here. I've only met him once or twice. Oh, there he is! The kid with the brownish-blonde hair up there."

Colby was sitting at the window seat, staring out at the world around him. He had a very disinterested look in his eye.

"That's all the high-schoolers in our cabin," Matt said. "Our leader is Blake Quinton. You see that tall, lanky dude in his mid-twenties up there?"

"The one in the red shirt?" Chase asked.

"Yup, that's him," Matt confirmed. "Blake is a great guy. Strange, but great. He's also our youth worship team leader. He's a bit odd . . ." Matt trailed off and chuckled a bit.

"What?" Chase asked.

"Oh, nothing," Matt replied. "You'll see how he is. I think you'll like him."

"Okay," Chase said slowly, not sure how to respond to that.

A few seconds passed in silence. Chase leaned back in the seat and stared out the window some more. It was still the same old dry grass. Chase sighed. This would be a long ride.

* * *

"So . . ." Adam said, trying to make conversation with the kid beside him. "What's your favorite food?"

"Adam, you've asked me that, like, ten times!" Eric said. "But it's spaghetti."

"Good choice!" Adam said. "I like pudding."

"Hey, dude, me too!" said the boy behind Adam. Adam jumped and turned around, trying to see who was talking. "Oh, sorry," the blonde-haired boy apologized. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just heard 'pudding' and I knew I had to same something."

Eric chuckled. "Jason, don't scare the poor kid!" he scolded light-heartedly.

"I'm not a kid!" Adam protested.

"I know, we're just messing with you," Eric assured him.

"Oh," Adam said. "Well okay then!"

"So, Adam, how do you like it so far?" the boy sitting beside Jason asked. Adam remembered him being introduced as "Jon."

"It's great," Adam said slowly. "But kinda boring. Also, what does your shirt say? I can't read that well."

Jon looked down at his black shirt and gave a small grin. He explained, "It says, 'This shirt is illegal in fifty-three countries.' It's talking about how in a lot of places, you can't worship God freely."

"What does that mean?" Adam asked. Jon lost him at "worship" and again at "freely."

"It means," Jason said, "that there are some parts of the world where, if you sing to God or meet for church, or anything like that, the government can come in and take you away."

The government taking you away! Adam knew that was bad. He was almost about to ask if it was the same thing that would happen if your bionics were discovered, but he remembered in time and didn't say anything. _Saved it!_

"That doesn't sound good," Adam said instead.

"It's not," Jon said. "I'm so happy to be living in the United States where we're free to worship God."

Adam was about to ask more questions when a woman stood up at the front of the bus and cleared her throat. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

"Alright guys, it's time for a movie!" she announced. Everyone cheered. "Our choices this trip are _The LEGO Movie_ and the old classic, _Frozen_. By a show of hands, who wants _The LEGO Movie_?"

A lot of people on the bus raised their hands, including Adam.

"Okay, who wants to see _Frozen_?"

A few people raised their hands, but not as many as before. Adam wasn't good at math, but he could still tell that _The LEGO Movie _had won.

"Alright," the woman said. She opened up a compartment above on the seats in the front and put the DVD into the player hidden up there. The movie began to play on the screens that were situated every few seats on both sides of the bus.

"Sweet, we've got a good spot," Eric said, pointing to the television that was right above of the row in front of them.

The movie started and Adam leaned back into his seat, ready to begin the ninety minutes of mindless movie fun!

* * *

"Bree! Bree? Hey, earth to Bree!"

Bree snapped out of her miniature nap. She hadn't quite been sleeping yet, but she was getting close. Bree turned to her right, trying to see who would dare interrupt her near-sleep.

"Sorry if I woke you up," Lucy whispered. "But we're almost here! These woods lead straight to camp. We're, like, thirty seconds away! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!"

Bree stretched her arms out and looked out the window. They were surrounded by trees. A few houses flew by here and there, isolated and alone in the woods. A creek ran alongside the road. The whole scene was very rural.

Inside the bus, teens were whispering back and forth to their friends. There was a certain excitement that was held by every soul on the bus. You could feel the bliss hanging in the air as every church kid looked for the sign that to them might as well read, "Happiest place on earth."

"There it is!" someone shouted.

Everyone on the bus cheered as the "Camp Gardener" sign came into view. The old wood sign was painted with yellow letters. As dilapidated as it looked, everyone was excited to see it.

The bus pulled into the parking lot and Lucy began to bounce up and down in the seat beside Bree. "I can't believe it!" she squealed. "We're actually here!"

Bree glanced out her window. Across the parking lot she could see a small bridge crossing over the creek. Beside it was a wooden bear holding a sign that said, "Welcome." Bree couldn't quite see what was beyond the bridge. Nonetheless, she felt excitement rise within in.

"Yup," she said with a smile. "We're here."

* * *

**Yay! They're at camp! If you have ever gone to church camp in your life, you know how exciting it is when you **_**finally **_**get there! And the bus always seems a bit boring, doesn't it? I don't know, it always did to me. But it's worth it to get to camp!**

**How did you guys like that chapter? Was it good? Bad? Meh? Let me know in a review! I appreciate them! I'll try to update again soon, but we'll see what happens. I hope you guys liked it! See you later! :D**


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